Ikael Tafari Passes On – Will The Barbados Africa Connection Thrive Without Him?

Ikael Tafari Was Much More Than The Public Face Of The Regional Pan African Movement

Doctor Ikael Tafari passed on in Trinidad while attending a conference. The Nation News article (link here) provides some family and personal background but cannot even begin to cover his life’s work as the driving Caribbean force for Pan Africanism and closer ties with Africa.

We at Barbados Free Press had often disagreed with Doctor Tafari but respected his energy and devotion to his cause. Most of us live and die without impacting the larger world, but that cannot be said about Ikael Tafari. It would be foolish to say that the “Pan African” movement in the Caribbean depends upon any one person, but movements often wax and wane over the years on the basis of a single leader.

None of us at BFP can guess at how the loss of Ikael Tafari will impact the Caribbean Pan African Movement. We are not only thinking of his management and support of the Commission for Pan African Affairs, we are also considering Ikael Tafari’s role as the ideological crusader for the movement.

Dr. Tafari Had Been Removed As CPAA Director Within The Past Few Days

As recently as May 27, 2008, the Nation News reported that Doctor Tafari spoke as the Director of the Commission for Pan African Affairs (CPAA) at the May 25th African Liberation Day Rally in Jubilee Gardens. Today’s article in the Nation News says that Tafari had been recently fired from his position as Director, so it seems that he died within a day or so of being fired.

Perhaps the sudden change in his life weighed heavily upon his heart, or maybe it had nothing to do with his death – details of which are unknown at the time of this writing.

Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to his family.

Some of our readers left their respects, which we reprint here…

Rumplestilskin
May 31, 2008 at 9:39 am
His soul has moved on to further existence.

May his journey be good.

Justice
May 31, 2008 at 2:07 pm
May he rest in peace. He was faithful to his beliefs.

Margaret Knight
May 31, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Sincere condolences to the Hutchinson and Hynam families.

Guy Hewitt: Remember The Poor

Speak up and judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy. Proverbs 31:9

The recent news report that poverty in Haiti was driving people to eat mud is one of the most disturbing accounts on the impact of the growing gulf between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in this world. With first hand experience of street children in India and AIDS orphans in Southern Africa, I am acutely aware of the devastation that poverty causes.

But we don’t have to venture far to encounter victims of poverty. The 1996/97 Poverty Survey in Barbados indicated that 7,000 households or 35,000 Barbadians were living below the poverty line.

In the absence of more recent data, we are left to wonder how many more Barbadians have entered the ranks of the poor and vulnerable. Even though there have been considerable gains locally in the physical and economic infrastructure, our social infrastructure is in acute need of attention.

The appointment of Undene Whittaker as the adviser to Government on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to be applauded. She, like her predecessor, is a powerful advocate for the disadvantaged. But more importantly her appointment symbolises our Government’s continued commitment to the poor and disadvantaged of our nation. But this is by no means enough.

In 2000, global leaders, including the then Prime Minister of Barbados, gathered at the United Nations to commit themselves to the Millennium Declaration, a statement of intent to reduce poverty by 2015 through eight ambitious goals and targets to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women.

However, the report card in 2008 at the halfway mark is not inspiring. Today, the gap between the worlds’ rich and poor is now wider. Global injustices such as poverty, AIDS, malnutrition, conflict and illiteracy remain rife. Extreme poverty kills more that 30,000 people each day as a result of disease, lack of medicine and unsafe drinking water.

Nelson Mandela, at the Make Poverty History campaign in London in 2005, condemned poverty and inequality as “terrible scourges of our times” which “rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils.”

Notwithstanding the biblical teaching, the poor need not always be with us. There is an appreciation that today’s poverty is not a Divine imposition but largely a man-made phenomenon and as such can be eradicated.

The Gospel and our ethical principles place service to the poor and vulnerable at the centre of our Christian life and witness. As exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we are all called to love our neighbour.

Recently, I encountered a situation of a young student at one of our older secondary schools who goes to school hungry almost every day. Worse yet, this was not an isolated case. As a prospering nation, our collective response to those in need is grossly inadequate.

If we are to eradicate poverty in Barbados, each of us has a role to play. However, dealing with poverty is not an easy work nor is it often comfortable. We are often left feeling hopeless or powerless. We despair when confronted by a seemingly insurmountable task, made more difficult by a largely indifferent humanity. But we will surely fail if we lose hope.

Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economist and UN adviser, in his book The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time provides reason to be optimistic. He lays out an attainable plan for ending extreme poverty in 20 years. If we work together, our collective effort will eradicate poverty.

To eradicate poverty a total-person approach (TPA), as emphasised by Jesus of Nazareth, is required. Jesus healed the sick and fed the hungry while teaching them how to find meaning and fulfilment through faith. A TPA is an integrated response to people’s physical, psychological, and spiritual needs.

Increasingly, poverty eradication programmes are concentrating on this approach, holding to the time-honoured philosophy that if you give someone a fish you can feed them for a day but if you also teach them how to fish you can feed them for a lifetime.

Any success in eradicating poverty in Barbados will require the commitment and action all major stakeholders in our society to the plight of the poor.

Our Government will be needed to design and implement the appropriate public policies. Our private sector, unions and other economic actors will be needed to help generate the necessary resources. Our churches, faith-based and other community organisations, will be needed to encourage faith, hope and charity. But ultimately, all of us will be needed to get involved in some way.

Remembering that the most significant advances in human history have been the consequence of the small steps taken by ordinary people, each of us needs to take that vital step an become our brothers and sisters keeper.

May God continue to guide us.

Guy Hewitt

Guy Hewitt is a minister of religion and social development specialist. He can be contacted on <guyhewitt@gmail.com>

UK’s New Statesman Magazine: “Barbados Citizens Living On The Edge Of Darkness” Due To Violence

In our opinion, the New Statesman goes overboard in lumping Barbados in with Jamaica and Trinidad – but
author Darcus Howe does cause a few shivers to run up my back when he says that Barbados is where Trinidad was ten years ago with the onset of gang violence.

Come to think of it, did we ever hear of tourists being stopped and “tolls” demanded even five years ago? It is a daily occurrence in the north of our island now.

You may not agree with everything that Mr. Howe has to say, but I’ll wager you won’t disagree with much either.

Also quoted is Christ Church East MP Denis Lowe, who said this about violence in his constituency: “In the Silver Sands/Inch Marlow area there is now a proliferation of intercommunity rivalry [by which he meant gang violence involving guns and knives] . . . and it is reaching dangerous proportions. In Parish Land the same is true, and that has reached boiling point now, where residents are being affected by it.”

New Statesman: When Law and Order Break Down

Guyana Government’s Death Squads Have An Important Lesson For Barbados

Guyana Government Hired Death Squads When The Police Failed To Curb Crime

News is coming out of Guyana and New York that the Government of Guyana sponsored death squads that summarily executed over 200 persons in the last few years.

Now, doesn’t that just make you want to take a vacation in Guyana?

How did that start in Guyana?

Easy… successive governments decided that policing and the rule of law were not that important. Endemic corruption in the political and judicial systems made it impossible for honest and hard-working police officers to accomplish their mission. Low pay and little training made sure that Guyana’s police were unable to attract and retain high quality personnel.

So when it all fell apart, the government decided that death squads were the way to go. And, just like Jamaica, we now see the rise of turf areas where the police don’t go. And just like the turf areas in Jamaica, “village policing” and settling of disputes are handled by the thugs who often have far more respect from the populace than the government.

We have said time and time again at Barbados Free Press that our police are the foundation for everything we have on this island. Unless Barbados remains a relatively safe holiday destination, our foreign currency will dry up overnight. You think things are getting a little tough now? Imagine if the tourists stopped coming.

Look at it this way folks – Barbados is at the very end of the world for North American and European tourists wanting a Caribbean vacation. There are many other islands that are closer to our major markets and thus cheaper to get to. There are many other Caribbean islands that are as beautiful as Barbados – maybe even more so. (Ok… we won’t go there.)

The ONE SPECIAL THING we have that attracts the tourists and the offshore financial business is that we have always been a safe destination. Others are closer, prettier and have beautiful beaches and the same sun we all share. But on some of these other beaches, there are guards with machine-guns to keep the tourists safe.

Not here in Barbados, though.

At least – not yet.

But things are changing all over and Barbados is not exempt from those influences. We hope that the new government recognises how fragile everything is. The Royal Barbados Police Force needs a massive injection in funding – to immediately increase salaries by about 50%, and to provide training and modern equipment.

Because without an effective police force – it will all fall apart.

Thanks to Barbados Underground for discovering the Caribbean360.com article on the Guyana death squads.

Read what David has to say about the Guyana death squads at Barbados Underground: Guyana Officials Fingered in Plot To Purge Criminal

Barbados Government Hypocrisy: Condoms, AIDS, HIV and Dodds Prison

Updated: December 13, 2010

The Nation newspaper recently revealed that a Cadres Poll conducted in 2004 showed that the vast majority of Bajans are tolerant or accepting of homosexuals. No wonder the poll was withheld from the public for six years. The social-engineering elites decided that citizens aren’t intelligent enough to deal with the truth about where they and the majority of their neighbours stand on same-sex love. Why the poll is being released now is as much a question as why it was hidden for six years – but that is a side issue.

True to the “conflict sells” tabloid journalism that we appreciate so much at BFP, when The Nation published their recent story about the hidden Cadres Poll, Homosexuality debate rages in Barbados, they also sought out a fire-breathing dragon of a Pastor for some comments.

Baptist minister Reverend Vincent Wood warned of homosexuals hiding everywhere: in government, church, education and the medical professions. According to Reverend Wood, homosexuals are “weeds” hiding amongst us, who entice “normal” people into sinful relationships to further their careers.

Hey… I’m just reporting what the good Minister said, hear? (That’s him in the photo above, courtesy of The Nation.)

Now… let it be known that I understand where the Reverend is coming from. I held his position up until about 15 years ago when a couple of life-changing events caused me to look at the world through different eyes. Nothing to do directly with homosexuals – I started to see the world differently when I began to think in terms of reality rather than the theoretical. Academics deal with theory. Realists deal with reality and I decided I’d throw in with the realists.

So I’d like to pose a question for Reverend Wood. Here it is…

Sir, you are now in charge of Dodds Prison. You have to decide whether or not to allow the issuing of condoms to prisoners. You don’t want to make condoms available because you believe that homosexual relationships are morally wrong and against the word of The Lord as revealed in the Bible.

BUT > you know that whether or not you issue condoms, men in Dodds Prison will have consensual sex – and if they don’t have access to condoms, people are going to get HIV, spread it through the prison population and on the island when they are released from prison. People are going to die.

Reverend Wood: you can prevent the deaths if you issue condoms to the inmates at Dodds.

What is your decision, Reverend Wood? This is no theory. This is reality. Whatcha gonna do?

Original article first published May 28, 2008…

Barbados Government Minister Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo Says Condoms Are A Valid HIV-AIDS Prevention Strategy For Everyone – Except For Men In Prison

The hypocrisy, lies and horse manure being spread by Dr. Byer-Suckoo and the Barbados Government would be humorous – except that real people are going to die because of it.

BFP Reader Needs Free Legal Advice…

I have been working in a financial institution for ten years, I have been in my latest post with this company for two and half years. My superior told me that I have not been made redundant, but my job has been so! I am still with the company and actively working in a new role. More recently, an internal advertisement was placed for this latest role I am currently doing, however I was not short-listed for it. Now the job has been advertised externally, and I believe I am facing the sack.

I feel I have a grievance concerning my employment. Do we have any legislation here in Barbados which might be used to assist me in pursuing my grievance? I do not want to give more information at the present time, but would be interested in any readers’ comments here. Many thanks, BFP,  in advance for your time used in considering this issue, and if you decide to publish my post.

Want To Reduce The Cost Of Barbados Chicken? Ban The Addition Of Water…

Robert Lucas Takes On The B-B-BockBados Chicken Cartel!

Dear Sir/Madam, The Editor

Listening to the Prime Minister’s address yesterday, pertaining to the cost of chicken, I was under the impression that, when he referred to the Barbados Agricultural Development Marketing Corporation’s (BADMC) importation of chicken, it meant whole chicken. I was disabused of this impression on reading (The Barbados Advocate) newspaper of the 27th, May 2008 (where) it was revealed that, chicken wings were the item alluded to.

The importation of chicken wings is not a new feature. This was allowed in the past, but was suspended as a result of lobbying on the part of the Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers (BEPP) under the aegis of the last minister of agriculture.

I can only speak for myself. I have a problem with a minority of the population holding the country up for ransom.

The position is always that, the industry provides jobs and what will happen if importation of whole-chicken is allowed. One has the ridiculous situation where a chicken costs more than twenty-dollars. What is going to happen, when the price of oil reaches US $ 200.00 per barrel? At some point, protectionism of this industry must stop. This has to happen if the cost of living in this country is to come down.

Removing the price control on whole chicken is only going to result in an increase in the costs to the consumer. The Prime Minister has stated that the importation of wings is primarily aimed at buttressing the lower level of society against the rapid rise in the cost of living. Since we are all Barbadians, should not all of us be buttressed?

The Prime Minister should also be insisting that the addition of water to poultry be banned, if he wants there to be an immediate reduction in the cost of living. This causes me to pose the question of who does Mr. James Paul represents? Does he represent his constituents or the Barbados agricultural Society (BAS)? At some point, the concerns of his constituents and those of the BAS must diverge. Who is he going to side with?

In the past, I have on numerous occasions, in your newspaper, stated my position vis-à-vis the local poultry industry. I am opposed to the industry as it is currently structured. I have stated that, the industry is an artificial one and that, the only local inputs are labour, water and some cement, the latter being used to make the foundation of the pens . I have also stated that, the local feed plant is actually a cartel, since the major owners of it are also involved in poultry rearing (either solely or by means of a form of share-cropping), slaughtering and distribution. The local feed plant can sell its product at whatever price it wants. One of my main points of contention against the local poultry industry and by extension the feed plant is the fact that, no effort has been made locally to develop rations for the industry.

Sincerely

Robert D. Lucas, PH.D.
Food Bio-technologist.

Thompson Government Leaks Report Of Corrupt Activities Under Former BLP Government – But Refuses To Adopt Integrity Rules Itself

“MORE THAN $300 000 in contracts were awarded to a senior employee of a certain Government department…” … from Nation News story Money Probe

Gather round friends, and we’ll tell you about some smoke and mirrors taking place right now under chief magician and Barbados Prime Minister, David Thompson.

According to the Nation News, “sources” have leaked details about an audit surrounding some government projects handled through an unknown Ministry under the past BLP Owen Arthur/Mia Mottley government. It is exactly as we’ve been saying here at BFP for the past two years – Government Officials awarded government contracts to themselves or companies in which they had an interest. Some work was probably done, and for other contracts no trace of any work or results can be found.

Of course the current David Thompson Government members will wag their fingers at the old BLP administration and strut around like a bunch of smirking school children taking pleasure that the teacher caught out someone else and not them

David Thompson & The DLP Lied About Adopting A Ministerial Code

The problem facing the current government and law enforcement as they try to piece together what happened is that there are no rules prohibiting government employees from awarding lucrative contracts to themselves, family members or friends.

During the election, Prime Minister Thompson said that his government would adopt a Ministerial Code immediately upon forming a government – and in fact the DLP’s proposed Ministerial Code would have prohibited such conflicts of interest as government officials awarding contracts to themselves.

Except that David Thompson lied and his government did not adopt the Ministerial Code.

He also promised ITAL – Integrity, Transparency, Accountability Legislation in 100 days.

That was a lie too.

So the members of the current government shouldn’t be so smug about catching a few minor officials engaging in corrupt activities that might not even be prohibited in law.

Voters should be asking themselves why Thompson and his DLP Government don’t want to implement rules that will criminalize and prohibit corrupt behavior.

Same old, same old ’bout these hills…

Here piggy, piggy, piggy! Soooooooeeeeee! Come and get it!

Barbados Police Continue To Cover-Up Threats Against Adrian Loveridge, Court Witnesses, Bloggers

Online Threats Continue…

“There is only one solution.

K__i__l__l

s__t__i__n__k__i__n__g

L__o__v__e__r__i__d__g__e

l__i__k__e

r__a__s__s__h__o__l__e.

BFP… constant defender of w_h_i_t_e_s and h_o_m_o_s_e_x_u_a_l_s, constant attacker of b_l_a_c_k_s.”

The above comment was left by someone calling themselves “Bana” from IP: 69.73.251.222 on 2008/05/25 at 2:49 AM (GMT)

“KILL LOVERIDGE”

Comment left by someone calling themselves “The Verdict” from IP: 69.73.210.227 on 2008/05/07 at 12:36 AM (GMT)

Violent Threats Continue – Barbados Police Do Nothing

A friend who knows I write for BFP asked if all those threats to murder Adrian Loveridge stopped when the new government took power. The short answer is “No, the threats continue and the police continue to do what they do best – cover-up crimes likely to involve political elites.”

My friend then defended the police saying that they can’t do anything without witnesses willing to testify, and seeing as how BFP and Barbados Underground blogs are written anonymously, Mr. Loveridge cannot expect the police to do anything.

I explained that the police had received IP numbers from bloggers and witnesses who were willing to testify and that they had a victim in Mr. Loveridge who had already filed reports with the police. In fact, Cable and Wireless informed Adrian Loveridge that they had already provided the information about who was doing the threats to both the police and the former Attorney General. (See HERE)

“Oh, I see what you mean then.” said my friend.

Regular visitors to the Barbadian blogs are well aware that a person or persons have been making threatening comments for the last ten months or so on various blogs. Victims of the death threats include hoteliers Adrian Loveridge and his wife Margaret, bloggers Ian Bourne (Bajan Reporter blog), Kathy Davis (Keltruth blog) and lawsuit defendant Marjorie Knox.

Of particular interest is that threats were also made to burn down the Loveridge’s hotel, and that two arsons did happen. When someone threatens to burn down a hotel, and then there is an arson, one should expect some reaction from the police, don’t you think?

The threats were properly reported to the Royal Barbados Police Force along with the IP information that would enable the police to find the culprits, but seeing as how the main suspect(s) are BLP government supporters – perhaps even linked to the BLP government itself – we didn’t expect that the police would do anything more than pretend to investigate.

And that’s pretty well what happened with the police… Nothing.

And with the police unwilling to do anything, of course the threats like those above continue even to today.

BFP Is Going To Publish All The Threats And The IP Information

We don’t know if this will ever shame the police or the government into revealing or charging the person(s) who is doing the threats but we will publish the details of a selection of threats in this article – including the IP information and date etc..

We’re not sure how long it will take us to go back in our records, but we will try to post a few every day for the next week or two. I think we’ll start back last year at the beginning and then work forward to the present. That way readers can appreciate how the threats developed. Also, readers will see that while some of the comments might not be considered threatening by themselves, they are threatening in context of other comments left by the same people.

Readers should also be aware that on occasion the people posting the threats will do so using the handles of known and responsible BFP readers, so don’t pay too much attention to the name of the poster… it is the IP Internet number that counts!

It will be a long list that develops every day as we have time. If you want to have a look, you can click on the next link…

Interesting Coincidence – William Duguid And Persons Making Death Threats Used The Same IP Internet Number A Year Apart

We’re Doing Some IP Research…

Hi folks. As you will see when we post the article after this one, the death threats against Adrian Loveridge and others continue – so we are doing some research into the internet source of the death threats and look at the amazing coincidence that we found about IP Number 72.22.157.140…

The IP number was originally used by Dr. Duguid of the BLP when he first set up the official BLP Blog and asked us and our readers for our opinions. That was back in May of 2006.

Then over a year later in August of 2007, the folks who run BFPE blog who also made death threats against Adrian Loveridge and others used the same IP number as Dr. Duguid.

Now… a few points…

We understand that IP Internet addresses can and do change occasionally…

HOWEVER, we also know that some IP numbers are permanently assigned. Cable and Wireless would be able to look in their records and see about this IP and if it was or is permanently assigned.

Wouldn’t it be quite a coincidence if Dr. Duguid posted from a permanently assigned IP number at say, BLP Headquarters, and then some time later BFPE posted threats from the same IP number at BLP Headquarters?

Cable and Wireless could easily check this out.

Quite the coincidence, don’t you think?

Here are the comments that came from this IP. All dates and times are GMT…

Barbados Court Of Appeal Says Thief Lawyer Mortimer Clarke OK To Practice Law

Barbados Lawyers And Judges Can’t Be Too Hard On Their Own – They Never Know When They Might Need A Light Sentence Too!

True to form, the old boys’ network reluctantly imposed only a nine-month suspension on a Barbados lawyer who was caught stealing $150,000 of client’s money from his “trust” account. Just to put this in perspective, anywhere in the civilized world a lawyer could expect a year or two in jail and permanent disbarment for similar activities. Not so in Barbados where the legal profession is apparently happy to accept Mortimer Clarke back into its welcoming arms after he has a little vacation. (“Pity you had a client complain, Morty old chap. We’ll have to make a show of it for a few months. Hope you understand.”)

By international standards, this laughable “sentence” against Attorney Mortimer Clarke isn’t a “slap on the wrist” – it is a kiss and a hug. But you’d never know that from the Nation News article that declares the decision read by Chief Justice Sir David Simmons was “tough talking”. (link here)

My fellow citizens, a nine-month suspension for a crooked lawyer is a national disgrace. More than that, it threatens our status as an offshore center for finance and corporations and it dirties the reputation of every honest Barbados lawyer.

A teacher who molests students has broken a sacred trust and for this reason is punished more severely than an ordinary person. Similarly a police officer who steals property under his care can look forward to more jail time than an ordinary thief.

There are good reasons for this standard, but in Barbados our lawyers have other standards.

Please take the time to read our original article on the Mortimer Clarke case and then let Barbados lawyers know how you feel about their profession.

BFP, April 24, 2008: Barbados Bar Association Condones Theft From Clients – And Destroys The Reputation Of Honest Bajan Lawyers

Africans Hacking Africans To Death – Bajans Should Think About What Fuels Such Violence, And Also About Their Thoughts On Guyanese And Homosexuals

“I never thought much about this issue, but today the common link between the killings in South Africa and the Nazi holocaust occurred to me: de-personalization was the first step.

And then I knew what has been bothering me about some articles and comments on Barbados Underground… it is the de-personalization of Guyanese and homosexual people.

I think that David and some of his readers should step back and think about it.”

Marcus

From this article originally published about a year ago…

Once Violence Is Culturally Adopted As A Tool, It Cannot Be Limited Without Changing The Culture

Who knows where and when the violence in Africa started? Black Africans say it started with the white invasion hundreds of years ago. The white invaders claimed that black on black tribal and racial mass violence predated the colonisation of Africa – since the beginning of recorded history.

Shifting to the more recent past, whites used brutal violence to suppress African nationalism and civil rights movements, while the white governments looked the other way in the daytime and embraced violence in nighttime murderous raids.

When blacks came into power and tens of thousands of whites and indians were forced to flee, and an unknown number murdered, the black governments looked the other way and used violence to drive whites from their farms and businesses. Even when violence was counter-productive, it continued. Zimbabwe, the breadbasket of the continent, became simply a basket case as mass-producing farms were broken up into peasant farmer plots incapable of supporting even one family. In the new millennium, continuing tribal genocides in Rwanda and the Congo showed that black on black racial violence is not abating.

If anything, African violence is escalating – black against whites, blacks against indians, wide-nosed blacks against blacks with thin noses, Ju-ju worshipers against Muslim, Muslim against Christians, neighbours against witches, men against “penis thieves” and on and on and on. Much of the violence seems to be deeply-rooted in cultural norms. In the west, we take disputes to court or the police. In Africa, the first response seems just as likely to be a machete attack as civil suit. Once again, deep-rooted African cultural norms still play large. (Google “cannibalism in Africa” and you might get a shock.)

Hardly a day goes by that there is not another news story about Africans hacking Africans to death somewhere for some reason.

Ghana International Airlines Contacts Barbados Free Press

Ghana International Airlines Disputes Comments By BFP Reader

We received the following email today from Ghana International Airlines about reader comments left on one of our articles.

That is the great thing about blogs – people who are impacted by the information on the blog can immediately have their point of view published in the same venue and read by the same audience. That is impossible with a dead-tree newspaper or television.

Now that the senior management of Ghana International Airlines is communicating with Barbados Free Press and Bajans here in public, perhaps our readers will have a few questions for them about what happened…

Let’s carefully read what GIA has to say, and then ask some polite questions in our comments sections.

Take it away, Ghana International Airlines…

Dear Sirs,

I write in rebuttal to the allegations raised by “Concerned Citizen” at…

http://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/stranded-africans-were-promised-caribbean-jobs-at-us-ten-dollars-an-hour/#comment-245289

As the only “senior manager” from Ghana International Airlines who accompanied the charter flight to Barbados on 31 January 2008, it unfortunately appears that these allegations are directed at myself. While I can only speculate as to the sources and motives behind them, I can however correct and clarify factual discrepancies raised.

a) Neither myself nor, to my knowledge, any other employee of Ghana International Airlines was part of any alleged conspiracy to “funnel Africans” to the USA or Canada.

b) I have never been arrested in nor deported from the USA on the grounds of “involvement in people smuggling scams”.

c) I have never been investigated by police in the United Kingdom due to any association with “convicted pedophiles and fraudsters”.

d) The only cash payment made to a “local airport employee” while on the ground in Barbados was US$3429 paid to an employee of Seawell Air Services for landing and ground handling fees. Additional disbursement of US$1336.02 was made via credit card to Remac Tours Ltd. to account for hotel accommodation and ground transportation provided for the pilots. These are all documented disbursements for which receipts were issued and can be verified by contacting Messrs. Philip Corbin or Reynold MacLean at Seawell / Remac respectively.

e) No illicit arrangements were made to “secure the escape” of the aircraft. All paperwork was appropriately filed and clearances granted by the relevant authorities.

f) Ghana Police has been conducting a detailed investigation into the events surrounding the charter flight. Myself and other officials of the airline have been questioned, and have provided statements to assist in the police investigation. It is my understanding that multiple arrests have been made and charges filed against alleged offenders. It is not accurate to imply that the matter is not being treated seriously by the authorities in Ghana.

Kindly clarify or remove the above referenced comments at your earliest convenience. If you have further questions regarding the incident, please feel free to contact me at the details below.

Yours sincerely,
Sean Mendis
–
SEAN C. MENDIS
Special Asst. to the C.E.O.
Ghana International Airlines Limited
Accra Office : +233-21-213555
Accra Fax : +233-21-767744
Accra Mobile : (removed by BFP)
Europe Mobile : (removed by BFP)
Email : (removed by BFP)

31,000 American Scientists, 9,000 PhDs Say “No Convincing Scientific Evidence” For Man-Made Global Warming

Edward Teller

Huh? I Thought Global Warming Was Caused By People

Edward Teller was a scientist who died in 2003. Even folks who didn’t support his life’s work still consider him to have been a fairly smart individual. Besides having a PhD in physics, Teller was one of the scientific wizards behind the USA’s Strategic Defense Initiative of the 1980′s. He and the SDI team developed the technologies to shoot down multiple missile warheads during reentry. I can’t even begin to imagine the mathematical equations behind that solution. (As a pilot, I could barely perform celestial navigation calculations before GPS units became widespread in cockpits.)

As I said… Edward Teller was a pretty smart guy.

Oh yeah… Teller is also called “The Father of the Hydrogen Bomb”.

So, whether or not you have some trouble with the fact that he spent his life developing weapons, it is somewhat difficult to argue that Edward Teller was not an intelligent and serious scientist.

That is his signature at the top of this article, and here is what he and 31,000 other American scientists have signed…

“We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, and any other similar proposals. The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind.

There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other green house gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effect upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.”

… from the Global Warming Petition Project website (link here)

You can read what Edward Teller signed for yourself by clicking on the following image thumbnail…

The Kyoto Accord Is Primarily An Economic, Political & Social Strategy – Not An Environmental Initiative

Believing that global warming is caused by human activity and can therefore be controlled has become a matter of religion. No dissent is allowed, and as many scientists know – scientific data that does not support the global warming religion is excluded from the record and public discussion.

How many people know that the earth experienced a tremendous period of global warming during the medieval period – and that the data has been systematically ignored by many Kyoto proponents? Why would scientists who have no agenda ignore such data? By all means scientists could dispute the data, dispute the analysis and argue against one position or for another… but when scientists deliberately ignore scientific data that does not fit their views, we should be asking why.

How many people have stopped to think about the actual economic, social and political results of implementing the Kyoto Accord?

Have you?

You should think about it, because our Barbados government and civil service bureaucrats have used global warming for years to justify all kinds of actions and spending on your behalf.

Now folks, don’t take my article or my questions as some sort of an indication that I think we should all drive monster SUVs, abuse the environment and continue to be held hostage by an addiction to oil-based energy. We cannot continue to waste and pollute – or to ignore the 80 percent (or whatever the figure is) of the world’s people who go to bed hungry every night.

But neither should we shut off our minds and unquestioningly accept the one-sided agenda-driven global warming religion that is being pushed by the mainstream media. There are serious problems with some of the agendas behind the religion – and the science itself is anything but settled.

But more important, no one is talking about the non-environmental agendas of Kyoto, and how those other agendas are impacting the impartiality and validity of the science and many scientists.

Again, I am not saying that the burning of oil-derived products is not seriously harming our environment in many ways. Any pilot will tell you that there is a permanent brown haze over much of North America and it is getting worse. There are times in New York City and London when you can hardly breathe because of pollution. Blow your nose in Beijing on most days and it comes out black.

But as we search for solutions to the world’s problems and consider how we should live together on this planet, we must not allow ourselves to be blinded to the fact that powerful entities are relying upon global warming and other issues in the public eye to further their economic, social and political agendas. They have a need for the concept of “global warming is caused by humans” to be true or at least publicly accepted – and they don’t really care whether the science is accurate or not.

The unquestioning public acceptance of “global warming is caused by humans” allows for the implementation of widespread societal changes without their proponents having to be up front about their motives, or having their ideas critically examined by the populace.

How many of the societal changes being proposed to “solve” global warming are really only tagging along for the ride on this popular cause?

That’s all for now. My next article will be about two airplanes that were trapped in glacial ice for hundreds of years – and if that sounds absurd, let me put it this way…

Not so long ago, scientists said that glacial ice in various locations was a thousand years old. They even took core samples and analyzed them to show all kinds of fancy theories about climate and volcanic activities way in the past.

Then out of that “thousand-year-old” ice popped some crashed airplanes that had been missing for sixty years.

And that, my friends, is an inconvenient truth.

Original article by Robert – edited by Marcus

Further Reading

The Global Warming Petition Project – Home Page

Harvard University Gazette – Global Warming Not So Hot

MIT Technology Review – Medieval Global Warming

London Telegraph – Medieval Era Warmer Than Today

British Airways Loses Millions In Business Because They Mistreated One Customer’s Daughter In Barbados

Daddy Buys 2 Million Pounds Of British Airways Tickets Every Year… Make That “Used To Buy”

How many times have you wanted to really harm a company when they treat you badly? For most of us, all we can do is hold wicked thoughts because for the most part we are powerless. Companies like British Airways regularly overbook and then tell you “pound salt”. They can ruin your vacation, destroy your business trip, strand you half way around the world with not so much as a clean pair of shorts or a toothbrush and then offer you a twenty-dollar voucher after weeks of complaining.

That is reality for most of us.

And then there are the very few who are able to do what we would all love to. Revenge can be so sweet…

Ladbrokes has stopped using British Airways for corporate travel after the airline tried to bump the chief executive’s 14-year-old daughter and a friend off a flight from Barbados.

Chris Bell, the bookmaker’s boss, has complained to the airline’s chief executive, Willie Walsh, and instructed the betting group’s travel agent, FCM Travel Solutions, not to book its 14,000 staff on BA flights unless there is no alternative. Ladbrokes spends more than £2m a year with BA.

Mr Bell, a BA Gold Card member, said Barbados was the final straw after recent problems involving Ladbrokes’ staff and the airline – including the Terminal 5 fiasco.

Mr Bell was accompanying his daughter and her friend on a flight from Barbados to Gatwick on April 8.

Having checked in their luggage, BA staff then told him that, while there was room for him, there was no space for the girls on the flight…

… continue reading this article at Telegraph UK (link here)

Stranded Africans Were Promised Caribbean Jobs At US$ Ten Dollars An Hour

Fraud Charges Launched In Ghana

Victims of the fraud that saw Ghana International Airways dump a plane load of Africans in Barbados will testify against one of the African-based organisers. From news accounts, it appears that Frank Emmanuel Duncan was not one of the organisers of the charter flight, but sub-contracted for some 43 seats which he sold to victims by promising them 20 days hotel accommodations in Trinidad and jobs at US$10 per hour.

In our opinion, the Barbados politicians and civil servants who allowed this to happen should be held to account as much as the crooks who organised the flight.

Any person with even a modicum of intelligence knew or should have known what that flight was all about.

But remember… there is no accountability for anything in Barbados. It starts with the Ministers of Government and works its way down from the top.

Don’t expect any real investigation or charges for the Barbados end of the fraud.

From Modern Ghana.com…

Frank Emmanuel Duncan, a social worker who is accused of organizing a trip for some Ghanaians to Barbados but got them stranded during the journey on Tuesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Duncan, whose plea was not taken is being held for defrauding by false pretences and issuing false cheque with face value of GH¢ 3,000.

Duncan is said to have collected from Mr Gideon Ansah Boateng, the complainant, 2,000 dollars and his VW saloon car with the promise he would take him to Trinidad and Tobago, secure a 20-day hotel accommodation, a job which would earn him 10 dollars per hour…

… continue reading this article at Modern Ghana.com here

Our thanks to one of our regulars for bringing this article to our attention!

Two Successive Governments And The Barbados Media Perpetuate Continuing Opera Telecom Consumer Fraud

This Opera Telecom situation is very simple folks…

1/ A company called Opera Telecom advertised a game of chance called “Lucky Numbers” on the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation and the Nation Newspaper. The company made millions in Barbados and other jurisdictions by charging a dollar or two to enter the contest and then never bothering to award prizes.

2/ No list of winners was ever published. The winning “Lucky Number” remained the same for so long that it was obvious the company wasn’t even bothering to pretend it was legitimate. There is no doubt that Opera Telecom’s “Lucky Number” contest was a widespread consumer fraud.

3/ For almost a year, the Barbados Government and the advertisers have known that this is a consumer fraud, yet the media continued to advertise the contest and the government refused to enforce the law.

4/ Both the Barbados Government and the Barbados media have profited from the consumer fraud through taxes and advertising revenues.

5/ As our friends at Barbados Underground so accurately put it (even if a little coarse)… the authorities in Barbados allow Opera Telecom to piss on our rules and regulations. We would go one further and say that both the current and past governments and the Barbados media are happy to piss on citizens if they can put money in their pockets.

Somebody big in government and the Barbados media must have received “gifts”. That’s the only way that Opera Telecom could have so publicly pissed on our country for so long.

Will Prime Minister Thompson actually do anything about it?

Not a bloody chance. Just watch – same old, same old ’bout hey.

David over at Barbados Underground has the latest in this continuing government-sponsored consumer fraud. See his articles…

May 19, 2008 – Opera Telecom, Cable & Wireless Limited, Fair Trading Commission And Foolishness

November 13, 2007 – Authorities In Barbados Allow Opera Telecom To Piss On Our Rules & Regulations ~ Where Is Minister Lynette Eastmond?

Welcome To Barbados Free Press Radio!

Broadcasting BFP Radio Every Tuesday Morning

Hello Friends,

Welcome to the first programme at Barbados Free Press Radio as broadcast on YouTube. We’re looking into some other options including having an MP3 available for downloading as a podcast.

Shona (electronically enhanced) will be doing the reading.

Let us know what you think.

Take it away, Shona…

To listen, click on the YouTube video above or this link.